Healthy homemade almond butter cups made from a coconut oil + cocoa powder chocolate sauce, naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and filled with a thick layer of almond butter. A pinch of flaky sea salt on top makes for the perfect salty-sweet treat! These 5 Ingredient Almond Butter Cups are naturally gluten-free, paleo, and vegan-friendly, so they’re a treat nearly everyone can enjoy!
Say hello to your new favorite salty-sweet snack:
HOMEMADE ALMOND BUTTER CUPS.
Okay, sorry to yell, but these 5-ingredient bundles of joy are just too exciting to keep quiet about.
They’re the perfect I need a little something sweet snack that’s made from five simple pantry ingredients and gets stored in the fridge or freezer for some serious cold-reese’s-cup vibes.
I chose almond butter because, despite having no less than four jars of various peanut butters in the pantry at all times, I still need a little variety in my life now and then. Rest assured, though, that these almond butter cups can easily become peanut butter cups with a simple nut butter swap. Ditto for cashew butter, coconut butter, etc…the point is: nut butter + chocolate = ultimate snack bliss.
Don’t fight it.
For these crazy-easy chocolatey snacks, you’ll need:
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Cocoa Powder. I like to buy mine in bulk on amazon, because, obviously, I go through a lot of the stuff. This is my favorite brand…it’s super affordable for organic cocoa, and tastes incredible. Since cocoa is the base of the chocolate layers in these almond butter cups, you really want to use the best quality you can find!
Coconut Oil. Virgin coconut oil blends together with the cocoa powder to create a smooth, velvety, melty chocolate that firms up in the freezer in just minutes!
Maple Syrup keeps these almond butter cups naturally sweetened, and gives the perfect subtle caramel-sweetness to the chocolate layers. Depending on how sweet you like your chocolate, you’ll only need 2-4 tablespoons. This is another product that’s great to buy in bulk because it’s always cheaper per ounce the larger bottle you buy. We buy glass gallon jars from a local farm and supplement with this 34-oz bottle on amazon (which is an incredible price for 32oz of maple syrup, just sayin!) as needed.
Almond Butter. I love using a really thick almond butter for this recipe, like this one. The contrast of slightly sweet chocolate + salted almond butter + flaky salt on top is just perfect to me, so I opt for an unsweetened almond butter. If you have a favorite flavored almond butter in your pantry, feel free to use it here instead!
Flaky Sea Salt. I always have Maldon Sea Salt Flakes in my pantry for sprinkling on top of sweet chocolatey desserts and snacks, since I’m a sucker for that salty-sweet combo. Pro tip: the little box it comes in may seem small, but it literally lasts forever-it typically takes me over a year to go through one box. I find it’s easier to dump the box into a wide-mouth mason jar like this one for easier long-term storage.
Paper Muffin Liners. These give your almond butter cups that classic Reese’s feel, and help keep them from sticking to the pan. I always have these unbleached muffin cups in my pantry for baking and other muffin-tin projects like this one!
A Standard Muffin Pan. Technically, you could make these in just the liners on a plate, but I find it much easier to move them into and out of the freezer in the muffin tin, and I’m assuming most people have one in their kitchen. This is the one I use!
Aaaaand that’s it!
Cocoa powder + coconut oil+ maple syrup get stirred together and dumped into muffin tins, popped in the freezer for a few minutes for the bottom layer to firm up, topped with almond butter and more chocolate, then frozen for a few more minutes, until solid.
This recipe yields six large almond butter cups, which I find to be the perfect amount for us. They last in the fridge for a few weeks, or the freezer for serval months, so if you’re looking to stock up, feel free to double the recipe and make a full dozen at once!
They also get very melty if kept at room temperature for too long, so consider this your official warning.
I hope you LOVE this simple, 5-Ingredient Almond Butter Cup recipe. It’s quick + easy, made from nutritious pantry ingredients, and totally hits the spot when you’re craving something sweet. Make it for all the chocolate + nut butter fans in your life…trust me, they’ll love you forever.
If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your almond butter cups and share it with me on Instagram. I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen!
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
- 2-4 Tablespoons maple syrup, to taste
- 6 Tablespoons thick, all-natural almond butter (or any nut/seed butter of choice)
- flaky sea salt, for topping
- 1. Place 6 paper muffin liners into a muffin pan.
- 2. Stir together the cocoa powder, coconut oil, and maple syrup in a small bowl until no lumps of cocoa powder remain. I recommend starting with 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup and tasting/adding more, as needed, to make the chocolate sweet enough for your tastebuds.
- 3. Scoop 1 scant Tablespoon of the chocolate sauce into each paper muffin liner, then place the muffin pan into the freezer for 2-3 minutes, to firm up. Alternately (if your freezer doesn't have space for a muffin pan) put the pan in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- 4. Once chocolate is firm, remove pan from the freezer and dollop 1 Tablespoon of almond butter into each cup. Add another scant 1 Tablespoon of chocolate mixture on top to cover the almond butter, then place the pan back in the freezer/fridge to solidify for 5-10 minutes. Remove and add a pinch of flaky sea salt to each, if desired.
- 5. Once fully firm these can be eaten immediately or stored in the fridge/freezer for 2 weeks or 2 months, respectively. Since these chocolate cups are made with a coconut oil-based chocolate layer, they will melt if not kept cold. Be sure to store in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to enjoy!